Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2015 | Page 48
COMMERCIAL
Interview with
Adrian
Maserow
A
drian Maserow is the award winning owner
of AMA Architects, a design studio based in
Johannesburg and focusing on Commercial,
Residential, Retail and Industrial designs
What is your design philosophy?
Our greatest efforts must be seen to integrate the
artistic with the pragmatic aspects of environmental
design and at the heart of this is the human being for
whom we design our buildings – the end user and the
community for whom the project is focused on is the
key to each winning building. We design spaces that
inspire wonder as architecture embraces the world as
a public art.
What design features and efficiencies do you focus on?
We like to use a spatial intelligence that brings to the
design moment a clear and magic-like expression of the
projects genesis. We value the qualities of architecture
that are both authentic and enduring as it helps us
discriminate between what is actual and illusory,
significant and trivial, natural and artificial.
What architectural principles and values do you focus
on bringing to a property?
At the heart of each design is the experience of the
building and its design poetic that expresses the elevated
principles of being an architect. As professionals we
are the products of social contracts between specialists
and society, and it is incumbent that we separate the
stylists and brand imitators from those who seek to
help society in the quest for betterment
Do you regularly integrate low or no cost sustainable
design strategies into projects?
Absolutely – we’ve been recipients of SAPOA’s overall
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SEPTEMBER 2015 SA Real Estate Investor
green building award for our refurbishment of the
lakeside offices that relied on the reuse of an existing
structure which was a speculative development in its
day & with that in mind we achieved a high end state
of the art office building with beautiful finishes and a
spatial uniqueness
Are green features a consideration and if so what kind
of features?
Efficient ratios of performance glazing and responsive
facades that work with each unique orientation plus
high end insulation low energy electricity usage
initiatives photovoltaic supplementary energy sources
and efficient water heating plus ample fresh air make
healthy living buildings our optimum goal
What do you consider to be your most significant or
professional achievement and what insights can you
share from the experience?
Being at the forefront of respected commercial
residential industrial and retail design development
is a privilege that our group values most so that we
can promote this broad range of building design with
insight and market savvy
What is your vision for the company into the future?
Any exciting projects coming up?
Our most exciting endeavor at the moment involves
mixed-use development that bridges high tec